What fun it would be to have trains like this!

"Japan’s railway companies are confronting the country’s shrinking labour market by moving ahead with automation. Central Japan Railway has been testing an automated system on its Tokaido Shinkanse, the bullet train that runs from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, since 2021. The company announced last week that it will be introducing the system to the high-speed service on its newest N700S (pictured) trains in 2028. A driver will still be present to start the train but speed adjustments and station stops will be made automatically. Back in the capital, the Tokyo Metro has announced that it will be testing automated trains on the Marunouchi Line from next month with a view to introducing the system in 2025. A conductor will still sit at the front of the train, ready to deal with emergencies, but mechanical operation of the vehicle will be done by an automated system. An unsettling thought to some, perhaps, but one that the Japanese authorities seem intent on speeding ahead with."